Boiler-tube cleaner and driving mechanism therefor.



No. 679.723. Patented Aug. 6, I901.

W. L. CASADAY. BOILER TUBE CLEANER AND DRIVING MECHANISM THEREFOR.

(Application flleipec. 9, 1890,

(No Model.)

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(Application filed Dec. 9, 1899.) v (No Model.) 3 Sheath-Sheet 2.

No. 679,723. Patented Aug. 6, 19m.

- w. L. CASADAY.

BOILER TUBE CLEANER AND DRIVING MECHANISM THEREFOR.

(Application filed Dec. 9, 1899.) (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM L. CASADAY, OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA.

BOILER-TUBE CLEANERAND DRIVING MECHANISM THEREFOR.

I SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 679,723, dated August 6, 1901.

Application filed December 9, 1899- Serial No. 739,736. (No modeL) To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM L. CASADAY, of South Bend, in the county of St. Joseph and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Boiler Tube Cleaners and Driving Mechanism Therefor, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is especially designed for driving the shaft or shank of a boiler-tube cleaner; and one object is to provide a suitable power-transmitting device which will connect the shank of the tube-cleaner or other similar tool adapted to be moved and operated in various places and positions from a fixed driving shaft without changing the length of the transmission-belt and without the employment of separate cumbersome means for taking up and letting out the slack of the said belt as the tool is moved toward or away from the driving-shaft.

A further object of my invention is to provide an improved shank made with a flexible handle and with flexible rod-sections and to provide certain features relating to details of construction hereinafter particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved tube-cleaner-operating mechanism looking toward the front of a boiler, a portion of one of the doors of which is broken away; Fig. 2, an elevation looking toward the inner side of said operating mechanism, the shank of the tube-cleaner being partly broken away; Fig. 3, a vertical longitudinal section of a boiler, on a smaller scale, showing my device in operating position supported upon a platform; Fig. 4:, an enlarged sectional detail of the clamp for holding the pulley-supporting standard adjustably upon the segment-arc of the base; Fig. 5, an enlarged elevation of the upper end of the said standard, showing the gear for adjusting the upper belt-pulley; Fig. 6, a similar view of the same looking at right angles to Fig. 5; Fig. 7, a horizontal section in line 00 a; of Fig. 5 on a still larger scale; Fig. 8, an enlarged sectional detail of the swivel sleeve and means for adjusting I the tool-shank-carrying beam upon the standard; Fig. 9, an enlarged detail of the sheavesupporting journal-box at the tool end of the beam; Fig. 10, an enlargedside elevation of the improved sectional tool-shank; Fig. 11, a sectional plan, on a larger scale, of the sectional tool-shank having a flexible handle.

The various parts of the driving mechanism are mounted upon a base A, supported .upon a framework or scaffold B, projecting at an angle from the front of the boiler O and adapted to remain in a fixed position thereon until all the tubes within reach of the device have been bored out and cleaned.

A pedestal D, with segment-arc d thereof, is securely bolted to one end of the base A and carries a pivot-bolt d, concentric with the segment, upon which is mounted the lower end of the standard E, which adapts said standard to swing across the segment and be secured adj ustably thereto by a clamp F, held at its lower end by a bolt f, passing through the standard and securely binding the segment thereto by a screw-nut upon the outer side of the standard and end of the bolt. The upper end of the clamp F has apinf', which sets in a hole in the standard and serves as a fulcrum for the clamp. Great pressure and a strong hold may thus be had upon the segment by simple means for securely supporting the standard at any required angle free from vibration. The standard carries an extension tool-supporting beam G, pivotally mounted and adjusted thereon in a novel manner, the tool-sheave H at one end thereof being driven by a rope belt I of a fixed length carried upon sheaves K and L, the latter being supported upon the vibratory end of the standard in a novel manner, as will hereinafter appear, the said rope belt being driven by a pulley M upon a driving-shaft N, supported on bearings secured fixedly to the base A of the device. The driving-shaft N is preferably the shaft of a rotary engine 0, secured to the base and connected with any convenient supply of power.

The sheave K, as shown in the drawings, is supported upon a stud-bolt e, affixed to the lower end of a standard extension-bar E or to a similar stud-bolt c at the upper end there of to suit the position of the tool-sheave H and take up the slack of the rope belt, and the sheave L is supported upon a stud-bolt e upon said extension-bar, located midway between the bolts 6 and e, to help to carry the said rope belt between the tool-sheave and the pulley M of the driving-shaft. The rope belt is kept taut by the adjustment of the extension-bar E upon the standard E, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and by enlarged detail Figs. 5 and 7, wherein the upper end of the standard E has a channel 6 in the face thereof and lugs 6 adjacent thereto to receive bolts 6 that pass through similar lugs 6 upon a capplate of the standard and provides an aperture of like cross-section to that of the extension-bar E, the latter having side flanges e and a toothed rack e to pass through said aperture and hold the rack truly in engagement with a gear-pinion E having a shaft 6 held in bearings in lugs e projecting from the standard. Lugs e of the standard support the pivot-bolt 6 0f a detent E ,which engages with the teeth of the pinion to hold it securely in any adjusted position. The pinion E is turned bya wrench applied to the squared end of the pinion-shaft to raise and lower the extension-bar and the sheaves K L, carried thereby, and thus provide a simple device not liable to get out of order for tightening the rope belt.

The supportingbeam G is carried by a swivel sleeve G, (shown by enlarged detail in Fig. 8,) and has a disk 9 at one side of and at right angles to the said sleeve and is adapted to be held fiat against the face of the standard E by a pivot-clamping bolt g, having nuts 9 g at the ends thereof to clamp it securely thereon when the said sleeve has been placed in position to support the beam G upon the standard at the required angle. The beam G is adapted toslide freely through the sleeve G and is held by a set-bolt g in its adjusted position thereon.

The tool-sheave H has a hub-journal h extending from each end thereof, supported at its ends in bearings h k of two bracket-sections H H of a bracket having overlying connecting-plates h h, respectively, which are held together bya set bolt or bolts 7f, the bracket-section H having a sleeve h to receive the beam G and a set-bolt k thereon to securely hold the bracket at any desired position thereon to suit the final set or angle of the shank 0r shaft of the drilling-tool. The sheave-hub journal is thus supported at both ends and allowed to turn freely in the bearings of the bracket-sections and may be readily placed in position or removed therefrom by removing the bolts h from the connecting-plates 71. 71 of the bracket-sections.

The drilling-tool or tube-cleaner P may be of any required kind to be used upon a rotative shaft R, which latter may be made of a rigid bar of tubular or solid metal, as shown in Fig. 2, or of any required number of alternate telescopic tubes 1" and bar-sections r, fitted loosely thereon and held together by pins r in the bars which pass through slots r in the tubes, or vice versa, and with rubber washers r between the ends of the said tubes to thus give flexibility to the shaft and v adapt the tube-cleaner to be used in bent orcrooked pipes, as shown in Fig. 10, many pipes in boilers being warped by the heat or by unequal expansion and contraction of other parts of the boiler to completely preclude the use of a rigid shaft. The shaft R is preferably polygonal or has a flat side or web to fit a corresponding longitudinal aperture in the sleeve h of the tool-sheave H, thus to insure the rotation of the shaft with the sheave, and the outer end of the shaft R has a handle R, connected thereto by a swivel bolt r (shown in Fig. 11,) thus allowing the operator to freely move the cleaner and shaft in and out without causing the handle to turn therewith. A flexible handle'section R ,com prising a coiled spring r provides simple means for taking up the vibration of the shaft R and allows the handle to be held with greater comfort and security by the operator. The handle is connected to the end of the shaftRby a bolt r upon the end of the handle-shank, having a spring-pin r therein to engage with a socket 7" upon the end of the said shaft. The spring r is held at its ends securely to the studs r upon the ends of the adjacent shaft-section by clamping-plates r and bolts passing through the said studs and clamping-plates.

My improved device for supporting the tube-cleaner in any required position and for operating it from a fixed motor or drivingshaft is light, has a few parts, and is simple and inexpensive in all the details of the construction. The standard and tool-supporting beam pivotally connected to the segmentpedestal and to each other may be folded compactly together nearly upon the level of the base or be projected from either side of the pedestal to bring the tube-cleaner in working position in line with any tube within the reach of the end of the tool-supporting beam and at any angle to the horizon. The

tool-supporting beam may be easily moved back and forth and turned within the sleeve and then secured by the set-bolt tovhold the tool-shaft at the required angle.

The pivoted standard and sliding extension-bar are adjusted one upon the other and secured, when adjusted, by applying a crank or ordinary wrench to the shaft of the pinion. An ordinary monkey-wrench will answer for securing any of the parts or making any of the adjustments required. The bracket for supporting the cleaner-shaft is made in two parts, and each may thus be readily slipped upon the opposite ends of the projecting ends of the sleeve of the tool-sheave and then bolted together, providing a firm long bearing for the shank or shaft of the cleaner. The joints and connections are so simpleand strongly made that the tool and rope belt will be firmly held and the springshank of the shaft-handle will be insulated from vibrations, and the cleaner-shaft, when provided with flexible tube -sections, may be rapidly driven and adapted to follow freely any course made open for it by the cut- IIO ters without overstraining or unduly twisting the several parts. The belt-supporting device may be quickly handled and so adjusted that the length of the belt will always remain the same at any position in which the cleaner-shaft is placed and will therefore not require the employment of slack weights and pulleys. The beam may be first adjusted in its supporting-sleeve to approximately hold the flue-cleaner in proper position and the tool-sheave bracket and may be then set upon the beam, and thus provide a secondary final and exact adjustment.

I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. In a flue-cleaning apparatus the combination with a pedestal of a standard pivoted thereto, a sleeve pivotally mounted on said standard, a beam mounted in said sleeve to rotate therein a set-bolt to hold the beam in the sleeve, a tool-sheave mounted on the end of the beam and a tubecleaner mounted transversely upon the end of the beam passing freely endwise through the tool-sheave and turning therewith, substantially as described.

2. The combination in a flue-cleaning apparatus with a pedestal of a standard pivoted thereto, a sleeve pivotally mounted in said standard, a beam mounted to both slide and turn in said sleeve, a set-screw to secure the beam in its primary adjustments, a bracket having a sleeve adj ustably connected both to rotate and to move endwise on the beam to provide further adjustments a sheave mounted in bearings upon the bracket, and a flue-cleaner mounted to slide through the hub of the sleeve, substantially as described.

3. In a tool for removing scale from boilers the combination with the base of the segmental pedestal of a standard pivoted thereto, two belt-sheaves and journals mounted upon the standard, the journal of one of said sheaves being adjustable thereon either to ward or away from the journal of the other of said sheaves, a beam pivoted to and adj ustable upon the standard, a driving-shaft mounted upon the base a tool-sheave and tool-cleaner supported upon the beam and a belt connecting the driving-shaft and toolsheave, substantially as described.

4:. The combination with-the base of a fluecleaning apparatus of the driving-shaft and pulley, the segmental pedestal, a standard pivoted thereto, a beam adj ustably supported upon the standard, a tool-rotating sheave and tube-cleaner supported upon the beam, a beltsheave supported upon the standard a standard extension-bar adjustable endwise upon the standard, a belt-sheave and journal supported thereon, a belt connecting the drivingpulley the intermediate standard-sheave and extension-bar sheave, and tool-rotatin g sheave and means for adjusting the extension-bar upon the standard substantially as described.

5. In a tool for removing scale from boilers the combination with the supporting-pedestal and segment, of a standard pivoted thereto a beam supported upon the standard, a toolrotating sheave and a tube-cleaner supported upon the beam, a driving-pulley, belt-sheaves supported upon the standard, a belt connecting them with the tool-sheave, a clamp F, fulcrumed at one end f, upon the standardand bearing at the other end'upon the rim of the segment and a bolt f, connecting the clamp and standard between the fulcrum and the segment-bearing, substantially as described.

In a tool for removing scale from boilers the combination with the supporting-pedestal and segment, of a standard pivoted thereto a beam supported and adjustable upon the standard a tool-rotating sheave supported thereon and extension rack-bar slidable endwise upon the standard a belt-sheave supported upon the extension rack-bar, a driving-belt, connecting said sheaves, a pinion 011 the standard to engage with the rack-bar and a latch to engage the pinion mounted upon the standard and adapted to adjust and hold the rack-bar and belt-sheave upon the standard, substantially as described.

7. In a tool for removing scale from boilertubes the combination with a support of a beam having a pivotal and sliding connection therewith, a rotary tool-holder sheave having hub extension journals projecting from both ends thereof a tube-cleaner shaft carried thereby, two bracket-sections each having a bearing for one of the journals of the tool-holder sheave and having overlying connecting-plates, one of which has a sleeve to receive the beam and a bolt for securing the said connecting-plates of the bracket-sections together, substantially as described.

8. In a tool for removing scale from boilertubes the combination with the rotary toolholder of a rotary tube-cleaner shaft, a toolsheave fitted upon and adapted to rotate the same and allow the said shaft to move endwise therein of a flexible section comprising a coiled spring secured at one end to the outer end of said shaft a swivel-bolt secured to the other end of the spring and a handle supported thereon and adapted to be rotated in a plane variable with that of the tube-cleaner shaft, substantially as described.

WILLIAM L. CASADAY.

\Vitnesses:

ADOLPI-I S. GINZ, RODERICK E. RICHARDES. 

